The Significance of Glycolysis2

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
L929 mouse fibroblasts and Ehrlich ascites cells grew well in media containing very low levels of glucose. The generation rates of the cultures were independent of glucose concentration and glucose consumption. At low levels of glucose, 5 mg per 100 ml or less, both lines of cells consumed rather than produced lactate. The administration of relatively high levels of glucose to these cells sharply inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid synthesis and generation rates. It is concluded that aerobic glycolysis is a general and transitory defense against high glucose influx. This defense mechanism manifests itself in vitro because the requisite hormones limiting the flux of glucose across cell membranes are either absent or nonoperative. It is surmised that aerobic glycolysis is exhibited in vivo only by those cells refractory to glucose flux regulation—cancer cells.